TWO goals in three devastating second-half minutes proved fatal for a City side which turned in a good performance for most of the other 88 minutes at Bramall Lane.

There had been chances at both ends during an entertaining yet goalless first half - but the visitors were knocked back when a mix-up over a Norwich throw led to Billy Sharp netting in the 52nd minute. Worse was to follow within three minutes as Matthew Kilgallon easily headed home a David Cotterill corner from close range to leave the Canaries with a mountain they ultimately could not climb

It was doubly frustrating as for large parts of the match Norwich had given as good as they got in an open encounter with chances at both ends.

Before the game City boss Glenn Roeder made three changes to the side which lost 1-0 at home to Stoke City on Tuesday night. Mo Camara made way at left-back for Ryan Bertrand, and with Lee Croft also on the bench Darren Huckerby and Kieran Gibbs started the match on the right and left flanks respectively.

The final switch from Tuesday saw young gun Ched Evans given the nod to partner Jamie Cureton up front, with veteran striker Dion Dublin kept in reserve as a substitute. The other man to join sub 'keeper Matthew Gilks on the bench was Gary Doherty, back after serving a one-match suspension for his double-yellow sending off at Coventry.

City survived a scare in the fifth minute as Blades skipper Chris Morgan won three big headed challenges in the Norwich box and the third fell to Carney 16 yards out - but thankfully for the visitors his first time half-volley flew a couple of feet over David Marshall's crossbar.

The Canaries were on the back foot in the opening exchanges and really should have been behind two minutes later. A low cross into the six-yard area bobbled back across the face of goal to one-time City transfer target Billy Sharp, but with the goal at his mercy he totally mis-kicked from five yards and the ball rolled tamely to the grateful Marshall.

Two more former Canary transfer targets combined on the quarter-hour to create another very good chance for the home side, David Cotterill momentarily swapping flanks to deliver a weighted cross from the United left which Rob Hulse headed down well, forcing Marshall to collect at his feet.

A couple of minutes later City at last forced their first real chance of the game so far - and it came courtesy of a nice bit of skill from Arsenal loanee Kieran Gibbs. As the ball arrived at his feet some forty yards from goal with a defender breathing down his neck there seemed little danger to the Blades goal, but Gibbs executed a lovely lift and flick on the turn past his man and took a couple of touches before blasting narrowly wide from 22 yards.

Cureton did manage to test United 'keeper Paddy Kenny in the 23rd minute with a drilled low drive from 25 yards after good work from Otsemobor and Evans on the right, but it was a comfortable claim in the centre of his goal.

The visitors were withstanding some robust attacks from United well to date and posed threat of their own on the counter. Another break on the right in the 29th minute saw Otsemobor's cross nodded down for Huckerby and his low shot was blocked by the out-stretched boot of Kilgallon.

Jason Shackell had been at the heart of the Canary rearguard so far and his strength and commitment had on occasion aroused disapproval from the United faithful. They were pleased then when he picked up a booking, presumably for persistant fouling, after a relatively low-key offence in the 34th minute.

City had another let-off in the 36th minute when Hulse's curling effort from the left-hand corner of the box crashed against the foot of the post and bounced to safety. Play switched to the other end rapidly and Cureton did well to tee up Huckerby for a shot which fizzed a foot wide of Kenny's left-hand post.

There had been good chances at either end and in the 41st minute there was another, this time for an improving City. Huckerby cut in intelligently from the right before rolling a great pass into the path of Pattison - but the midfielder blazed his shot over from 18 yards.

As the half drew to a close a misunderstanding between young loanees Ryan Bertrand and Kieran Gibbs on the left touchline let in United for a lightning-quick counter, but Hulse's firm header from Cotterill's cross flashed wide of the post.

Half-time: Sheffield United 0, Norwich City 0

A patient Norwich build-up in the 49th minute ended with an ambitious effort from skipper Mark Fotheringham from 25 yards which was always rising as it sailed over the angle of post and bar.

But the Canaries' hard work to date was undone as United took the lead in the 52nd minute. It came after a Norwich throw deep in their own half was too-hastily taken and Shackell's clearance went straight to Cotterill. His cross from the right bounced unkindly off Alex Pearce straight into the path of Billy Sharp - and the former Scunthorpe striker buried a low drive from ten  yards past the helpless Marshall.

And the visitors' disappointment was doubled within three minutes as United doubled their lead and left the Canaries suddenly chasing a game in which they had to date stood toe to toe with their hosts.

It was a fairly soft goal too, coming when Cotterill's in-swinging corner from the right was met by the unmarked Matthew Kilgallon with a bullet header from six yards into the empty net.

In the 61st minute Roeder responded with the game's first change, Lee Croft coming on for Gibbs and immediately moving to the right wing as Huckerby switched to the left.

Norwich desperately needed to give themselves some sort of lifeline after their nightmare spell and it nearly came from Ched Evans in the 63rd minute, when he met Cureton's cut-back with a first-time effort which Kenny did very well to palm away low to his left.

Three minutes later Cureton had a go himself, testing Kenny with a 25-yarder which the Blades keeper collected well after a potentially awkward bounce in front of him.

Roeder made his second change on 67 minutes, Gary Doherty replacing Jason Shackell in the centre of the City defence.

A minute later Evans earned a free-kick some 30 yards out after he crashed to the ground under the attentions of three United defenders. He got up himself to power a superb rising drive through the wall which Kenny could only palm away.

United made their first substitution of the afternoon on 78 minutes as Rob Hulse made way for lanky striker Jon Stead. Roeder in turn made City's last change, with Dion Dublin replacing Ched Evans in attack.

City hustled and bustled as the game approached its conclusion but without really threatening to pull one back. The closest they came were two chances in the 89th minute, the first a header from Dublin and looped skywards before dropping awkwardly for Kenny and forcing him to tip it behind for a corner.

The resulting flag-kick from Huckerby was missed by Pattison only to fall through a crowd of bodies to Alex Pearce - but to loud cheers from the home fans his close-range effort cannoned off the body of Cureton to safety.

NORWICH CITY: Marshall, Otsemobor, Shackell (Doherty 67), Huckerby, Cureton, Pearce, Fotheringham (C), Gibbs (Croft 61), Bertrand, Pattison, Evans (Dublin 78). Subs not used: Gilks, Camara.

SHEFFIELD UTD: Kenny, Naysmith, Morgan (C), Hulse (Stead 78), Cotterill, Carney, Speed, Kilgallon, Tonge, Sharp (Ehiogu 85), Geary. Subs not used: Shelton, Gillespie, Halls.